Levee breaks and floods outback town

Yes Batt's, it is sad that Thargomindah suffered, but it should have been expected. The town is in the wrong place and has experienced flooding before this. A simple dirt levee was never going to suffice.
As for readiness, in 2009 my son spent a few months in Thargomindah on electrical works. As no-one else in town possessed a suitable licence to operate the SES 'flood boat', Geoff was nominated as the only person so authorised. I do wonder if they ever arranged for a resident to obtain a licence.